À Annecy, le cinéma d’animation célébré toute l’année grâce à l’ouverture d’un lieu hybride et ambitieux en juin

A new permanent home for animation cinema, the Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation, will open in Annecy, France, on June 19, 2025, just before the annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Housed in a restored 19th-century horse stable (haras) listed as a historic monument, the 54-million-euro project includes a 450 m² permanent museum, a 332-seat cinema, temporary exhibition spaces, educational workshops, artist residencies, and image-education facilities. The city of Annecy contributes 30 million euros, with additional funding from the Haute-Savoie department, the state, and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Designed by architecture firm dd.a and landscape architect Philippe Deliau, the center aims to be a hybrid, year-round hub for animation, blending heritage, creation, and transmission.

“Clean / Clear / Cut” Malta Biennale 2026

The Malta Biennale 2026, titled "Clean / Clear / Cut," launched on March 11 and runs through May 29, transforming historical sites and cultural landmarks across Malta and Gozo into venues for contemporary art and critical dialogue. The biennale is under the artistic direction of international curator Rosa Martínez.

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Antonio Canova's monumental plaster horse sculpture, *Cavallo Colossale* (1819–21), has been restored and returned to public display after spending 50 years in storage at the Museo Civico di Bassano. The sculpture, acquired by the museum in 1849, had deteriorated in storage since the late 1960s. A multi-year restoration led by Passarella Restauri involved reassembling over 200 fragments, removing 19th-century additions, and installing a new internal metal frame for earthquake protection. The project was funded by Intesa Sanpaolo and the Venice in Peril fund.

Finding art in the uncanny aesthetics of MAGA

Spielzeug gallery, founded in 2025 in Bushwick by Evan Karas and Eleanor Hicks, opened a pop-up show titled MAR-A-LAGO FACE on May 13 at a former restaurant on Allen Street in New York. The exhibition critiques the plastic-surgery aesthetics associated with Republican figures like Matt Gaetz, Laura Loomer, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Kristi Noem, featuring works by queer, trans, and Latin American artists. The opening blurred the line between exhibition and party, with a DJ, themed drinks, and a bouncer checking bags.

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Airbnb, in collaboration with Warner Bros., is offering an exclusive overnight experience themed around Emerald Fennell's new film adaptation of *Wuthering Heights*. The stay, located in West Yorkshire, features a meticulously recreated bedroom and dining hall from the movie's Thrushcross Grange set, complete with period furnishings, Yorkshire delicacies, and activities like horseback riding and a visit to the Brontë Parsonage Museum. The experience is free and available to only three couples for a limited time in late February and early March.

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The Bowers Museum in California is set to open "World of the Terracotta Warriors" on May 24, bringing together 110 newly discovered archaeological treasures from Shaanxi, China, including Terracotta Warriors, bronze vessels, chariot regalia, and jade and gold artifacts. The exhibition, curated by Tianlong Jiao, expands beyond the famed terracotta army to showcase decades of archaeological research across Shaanxi, highlighting social and cultural changes from about 2300 B.C.E. to 206 B.C.E., with finds from sites like Shimao and Zhaigou.

Sorolla and Valencia: an itinerary in the light of the master who captured the soul of the Mediterranean

The city of Valencia is actively promoting a cultural itinerary dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla, tracing the master painter's life from his birthplace in the historic center to the Mediterranean shores that inspired his most famous works. The route encompasses key biographical sites including the Church of Santa Caterina, the School of Craftsmen, and the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos, where his early sketches and academic records are preserved.

Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art

The Art Institute of Chicago will present "Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art" from March 7 to July 5, 2026, featuring 140 artworks spanning from 6th-century Buddhist sculpture to contemporary paintings. The exhibition includes 22 objects officially recognized as National Treasures or Treasures by the Korean government, all drawn from a landmark 2021 donation of over 23,000 works by the family of late Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-Hee. Highlights include Joseon dynasty ceramics, Buddhist paintings, and works by modern artists such as Kim Whanki and Park Rehyun.

A Look at the DIA’s Contemporary Anishinaabe Art Exhibition

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) has opened "Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation," its first Native American art exhibition in over 30 years. Featuring 92 works by more than 60 Anishinaabe artists from the Great Lakes region, the show spans from 1892 to 2025 and includes pieces by renowned artists such as Jim Denomie, Norval Morrisseau, Kent Estey, Jonathan Thunder, and Rabbett before Horses Strickland. Highlights include Denomie's vibrant "Four Days and Four Nites, Ceremony" (2020) and Morrisseau's spiritual works like "Punk Rockers Nancy and Andy" (1989).

Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan's collection of Indian and Persian paintings to sell at Christie's for more than £8m

Christie's will auction 95 Indian and Persian paintings from the collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan in London on 28 October, with estimates ranging from £2,000 to £1m and a total expected sale price exceeding £8m. The collection, formed between the 1960s and 1980s, includes Ottoman, Mughal, Deccani, and Rajput works, as well as pieces by artists such as Reza Abbasi, Ghulam Ali Khan, and Sheikh Muhammad Amir of Karraya, dating from the 16th to 19th centuries. Highlights include a page from the Fraser Album and an early Mughal painting of cheetahs attributed to Basawan.

The Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair Has Taken Off Its Training Wheels

The Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair (BFAPF) has returned for its second edition at Powerhouse Arts, expanding significantly from its inaugural "beta test" last year. The fair now features over 60 exhibitors, including a diverse mix of independent print shops, academic departments, self-represented artists, and established international galleries. This year's iteration emphasizes experimental mixed-media practices and a rigorous juried selection process, moving beyond traditional printmaking to include illuminated plexiglass screenprints and sculptural paper works.

Museum Night 2026: Events in Belarus and Beyond

On May 16, 2026, Museum Night celebrations will take place across Belarus and beyond, with cultural institutions offering extended hours and special programs. Highlights include the National Centre for Contemporary Arts in Minsk hosting lectures, artist talks, and exhibitions such as “Forms and Shadows: Feminine” and “Difficulties of Translation,” while the National Art Museum explores the color blue through its program “Blue of Blue.” Literary museums dedicated to Maksim Bahdanovich, Yakub Kolas, and Yanka Kupala will feature space-themed activities, reenactments, and fashion shows, and the “Sula” History Park will offer an interactive journey called “Hunting the Dragon.”

After Going Through the Darkness Part 1: Kōta Takeuchi Exhibition "Nononononomatsuri" @ Ichihara Lakeside Museum

暗闇をくぐってみたら Part1 竹内公太展「のののののまつり」@ 市原湖畔美術館

The Ichihara Lakeside Museum, currently under renovation since late 2025, will partially reopen on May 1, 2026, with a theater-style series of solo exhibitions titled "Kōta Takeuchi: Nononononomatsuri" as its first installment. Artist Kōta Takeuchi, born in 1982 in Hyogo Prefecture and based in Fukushima, presents new video installations created during a four-month residency in Ichihara, where he visited over 70 stone monuments across the city—including horse-headed Kannon statues, Koyasu statues, and war memorials—to explore themes of parallel bodies and possession. The exhibition features works such as "Disassembly of the Sansha-za" (2013–2023), "Cement Thief" (2024), and "Sigh of the Ground" (2022), with a map showing the locations of the documented stone monuments.

London's pre-contemporary art market gets boost from two new summer events

Two new summer events for pre-contemporary art are launching in London: Classic Art London (CAL), running from 23 June to 4 July, and Studiolo, a one-day showcase on 26 June. CAL fills the gap left by London Art Week, which ended in 2024, and features gallery exhibitions across Mayfair, St. James's, Cecil Court, and Belgravia, along with a talks programme at the Society of Antiquaries. Highlights include a rediscovered Titian, a solo show of Paul Nash landscapes, and a focus on Swedish Cubo-Futurist Gösta Adrian-Nilsson (GAN). Studiolo, held at Spencer House, presents art, antiquities, and sculpture.

literature book cover design

CULTURED magazine gathered three leading book cover designers—Sandra Chiu, Chip Kidd, and Rodrigo Corral—for a roundtable discussion on the challenges and thrills of their profession. The conversation covers the shift to online retail, budget cuts, and a growing homogeneity in cover design, exemplified by the so-called "book blob" trend. Chiu, known for bestselling romance covers, Kidd, a legendary figure at Knopf Doubleday, and Corral, now VP of Creative at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, share insights on their creative processes and the evolution of the industry since Kidd's early days.

Frame Work: HORSE game becomes art in downtown Detroit

A new interactive art exhibition called "HORSE" has opened in downtown Detroit at 1001 Woodward Avenue, transforming a basketball court into an artistic installation. The centerpiece is a seven-armed sculpture featuring 21 basketball hoops at various angles and heights, inviting visitors to shoot hoops and play the game HORSE. Created by California-born, Detroit-based artist Tyrrell Winston—known for repurposing objects like basketballs—the project was developed in collaboration with landlord Bedrock and gallery Library Street Collective. The exhibition also includes a 30-by-50-foot painting, a sculpture made of old basketballs, a merchandise store, and a photo spot. It runs through October 5, with hours from Wednesday to Sunday.

A Grandmother’s Keepsake Turns Out to Be an Imperial Chinese Robe Worth Thousands

A collection of Chinese antiques, including an Imperial robe from the 19th century, was discovered in a chest in London after being kept as family mementos for decades. The items were acquired by Nan Brake, a British translator living in Beijing during the 1950s, who purchased them on excursions around the city. The collection, which features Ming dynasty paintings, Qing dynasty embroidered robes, and jade ornaments, will be auctioned by Roseberys on May 12 with an estimated total value of £40,000 ($54,100). The standout piece is a turquoise silk Imperial robe embroidered with nine five-clawed dragons, likely made for a male member of the emperor's family.

Nikyle Begay Resurrects Century-Old Diné Weavings

Nikyle Begay, a Diné shepherd and weaver based in the Navajo Nation, is revitalizing ancestral weaving techniques that were historically marginalized by the colonial trading-post economy. By breeding Navajo Churro sheep and mastering complex twill patterns once used for functional saddle blankets, Begay bridges the gap between traditional agricultural practice and contemporary fine art. Their work involves the entire lifecycle of the medium, from shearing and processing wool to reconstructing intricate designs that fell out of favor when commercial markets prioritized specific regional styles for non-Native buyers.

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Christie’s is auctioning four paintings by former US President Jimmy Carter this month, with estimates under $15,000. Three works—Mountain Waterfall (2003), Steeple (2010), and A Still Life (An Angry Pomegranate)—are part of the online sale “The American Collector,” closing January 27, while The Hornet’s Nest (2003) will be offered in a live day sale titled “We the People: America at 250” on January 23. Bidding has already exceeded estimates, with Steeple reaching $24,000. The paintings come from a larger trove of Carter family personal items, with proceeds benefiting the Carter Family Foundation.

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Archaeologists from INRAP (the National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research) have unearthed a Renaissance-era limestone equestrian statue in Toul, northeastern France. The statue, broken into 27 pieces, was found buried under a roadway among the remains of a medieval gate demolished around 1700. The largest fragment measures about three-and-a-half feet, and the intact work would have stood over five feet high. The horse's trunk and head are preserved, along with the rider's hips and upper thighs, but the rider's head and limbs are missing, making identification uncertain. INRAP suggests the rider may have been Henry II, King of France, or more likely John III of Lorraine, Cardinal of Lorraine and Bishop of Toul, and that Italian artists may have been involved in its creation.

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The article examines historian George Garnett's analysis of the 93 penises depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, a 225-foot-long embroidery chronicling the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Garnett, a professor of Medieval history at Oxford University, argues that the size and placement of these genitalia—88 on horses and five on men—offer clues about the tapestry's meaning. He notes that the largest equine phallus belongs to Duke William's stallion, followed by those of Harold Godwinson and Odo of Bayeux, suggesting a hierarchy of importance. More significantly, Garnett interprets four penises attached to men in the tapestry's border as references to Aesop's fables, indicating themes of deceit, shame, and illicit sex, which he believes challenge the traditional attribution of the tapestry's commission to Odo of Bayeux.

Binoculars, selfies and epic leaps: Grand National meeting 2026 – in pictures

Award-winning photographer Tom Jenkins captures the high-stakes atmosphere of the 2026 Grand National meeting at Aintree. The photo essay documents the dramatic physical feats of the horses, including falls at the notorious 'Chair' fence, alongside the vibrant social culture of the spectators, from the high-fashion 'Style Awards' on Ladies’ Day to the rain-soaked crowds of the final day.

Michel Bassompierre (1948-2026)

French sculptor Michel Bassompierre has died at age 78. Known for his monumental bronze and marble animal sculptures—polar bears, gorillas, elephants, pandas, and horses—he depicted them in moments of rest and balance, simplifying forms in the tradition of François Pompon. Bassompierre studied at the École des beaux arts de Rouen under René Leleu, taught applied arts, and later worked with foundries including Venturi Arte in Italy. His major exhibitions include "Fragiles colosses" at the Jardin des plantes in Paris (2019) and a show at the Musée Despiau Wlérick (2021). In February 2025, the municipality of Vertou announced plans for a Michel Bassompierre museum, slated to open in 2028. He was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2010, received the Légion d'honneur in January 2025, and was promoted to Officier des Arts et des Lettres on April 1, 2025.

Haitham Al Busafi to Represent Oman at 2026 Venice Biennale

Oman has chosen artist, architect, and curator Haitham Al Busafi to represent the country at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Al Busafi will curate and present his own monumental installation, Zīnah, in the national pavilion, commissioned by the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. The work transforms a traditional Omani horse harness into an interactive spatial experience using sand, metal, and sound.

Poly Auction Hong Kong Spring Auctions 2026 concluded on a high note

Poly Auction Hong Kong's Spring 2026 season concluded with a total of HKD 255 million in sales, representing a 23% increase over the previous autumn cycle. The auction was headlined by Liu Wei’s 1995 painting "You Like Pork?", which fetched HKD 27.6 million, followed by a Ming Dynasty 'Grapes' foliate-rim dish that sold for HKD 24.6 million. The event saw participation from collectors across 17 countries, with significant growth in the Modern and Contemporary Art and Jewels and Watches sectors.

Zīnah (Adornment): Oman’s Pavilion Tunes the Biennale to Resonance Over Spectacle

At the 60th Venice Biennale, the Sultanate of Oman presents "Zīnah (Adornment)," a pavilion conceived by artist and curator Haitham Al Busafi. The immersive installation, on view at the Arsenale Artiglierie from 9 May to 22 November 2026, draws on the Omani tradition of adorning horses with silver (al-zaanah) to explore themes of relation, movement, and shared presence. Visitors enter through darkness into a field of Omani sand, beneath a canopy of silver elements that respond to movement with sound. The work incorporates drawings by students and emerging artists from a workshop in Muscat, emphasizing collective authorship.

On Exhibit: Must-See Art Shows in Alexandria This May

This article highlights a variety of art exhibitions and events taking place in Alexandria, Virginia, during May 2026. Featured shows include the "Floret 2026" floral exhibit and the May 2026 Open Exhibit juried by Jowita Wyszomirska at the Art League Gallery of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, as well as the Alexandria City High School Titan Student Art Exhibition at Del Ray Artisans Gallery. Other offerings include a mask exhibit at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, multiple ART + WINE + CHEESE soirées at Nepenthe featuring artists like Leah Sturgis, Sunny Goode, and Evelyn Dunphy, and special print exhibits at Printmakers, Inc. honoring Avis Fleming.

Spanish Joy Illuminates Paintings By Danish Artist Anders SCRMN Meisner In First Solo New York Show At Isabel Sullivan Gallery

Danish artist Anders SCRMN Meisner presents his first solo exhibition in New York at Isabel Sullivan Gallery, featuring 14 new paintings inspired by what he calls a "European lust for life." The show, on view through November 29, includes works such as *Blue Flamenco Shoes and Portrait* (2025), *Orange Blossom Water (Like Wild Horses)*, and *The Flower Picker* (2025), which draw on flamenco motifs, Sevillian culture, and folk-inspired imagery. Meisner, who lived in Seville in his 20s, infuses his canvases with vivid blues, reds, and yellows, often depicting his wife Carolina and using pointillist dots and poetic titles painted directly on the canvas.

Three New Galleries Coming To Bank Junction, At No. 1 Poultry

Three new art galleries will open at No. 1 Poultry, the controversial postmodern office block on Bank junction in London, starting September 24, 2025. Organized by arts charity Hypha Studios with support from the Cheapside Business Alliance, the ground-floor spaces will host 24 exhibitions over a year. Debut shows include "The Turn" curated by Shakthi Shrima, "Blackhorse Lane Makers" in collaboration with recessed.space, and "Material Actors" by the Binder of Women collective, all free to the public.

Sara Stern '17 Opens Latest Solo Exhibition, 'STALL,' at Turley Gallery

Sara Stern, a 2017 alumna of the Visual and Environmental Studies program at Harvard, has opened her fifth solo exhibition, 'STALL,' at Turley Gallery in Hudson, New York. The installation transforms the gallery's interstitial space, The Light Well, into a horse stall featuring a toy theater that plays a video of horseshoe crabs spawning. The exhibition runs from July 19 to September 7, 2025, and includes elements such as straw, a velvet curtain, and an adorned horseshoe crab shell, creating a mise en abyme effect.